n; Demon realism: the

-ng amongst themselves about the price of bus tickets
compared with years ago, they had only heard Mattlock
going on about Time and prices and had used it to insp-

-irer their own talk.

He was unconscious of the couples ignoring him but
switched back to the paper handkerchief subject .right
there under his table, .Trying to get them to look so as
to satisfy his idea about everything not being as good
as it was years ago.The couple went on in hushed tones
about bus tickets. 3d/6 this and so on, oblivious to his
talk, or with the intent to bore him into submission to
their will.What ever the reason Mattlock was going to
have none of it and , first stubbing out the ciggerette in—-

-to a small tin foil tray that used to contain a custard
tart, left the place in a huff, at being able to communic-
ate with those people, as he could have; years ago.

Years ago when every thing was built strong and to last
. .and more realistically as well.He began to walk in a
random fashion through the streets, although he still had
to finish his shift, he wandered street after street of pa~

-per littered pavements until he came to north London's
Cranley Gardens where he seemed to awake from his
daze.He had been starring for some Time at a derelect
house, burnt out windows and the doors bricked up, a ;•
destroyed house charred, , .flashes of flea egg parasites
. .wittled away edges...

He heard in the night air the sound of a trumpet being
blown by a learner or a child for the notes were long and
erratic; wind ing madly in the dark air.The notes had a
powerfull effect on him for now he saw a replay of the
past before his dazed eyes, of the scene that had happ-

-ened weeks before.A man is running out of the house
trailing blackened sauce pan smoke behind him, flames
bite chunks out of the upper windows, .now dissolving
into the bricked up windows of the house.. .the trumpet
sound ceased and with it the vision of the past, , he was
thrown back into the present with a clang of steel door.
He was hack in his home after running from the scene
of strangeness, now sitting down to think about the last
few hours and how different he had been behaving. His
hands played involentarfy with the paper Rizzia packet
turning the packet over and over in his hands mindless
aid unaware, like the thoughts rotating £n his mind..
. .unaware that anything was really different in any
permanent way. The next night he wrote the following
in his five year diary ,in the two middle pages of the
book; 30th april 1993 and 1st may 1993; over three years
too soon;

Demon realism: the character is not really believable
is it ? who do ttwy are, , no,, its too far fetched. .that
couldnt happen . .could it ?

I might have know that would happen, .had I expected
the unusual:. .thats silly, .no one does that do they ?
what is all this about ? thats ridiculas, .they shouldnt
have shown that: its ruined the whole programm. .cant
be real. .can it ? a dream sequence or something... g g